INSTITUTE Newsletter No. 114
15 September 2017 Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea
Inside this Issue 02-06 Reflections and Prayer Focus 07
From Two Worlds
08
Official Opening of the first Sustainable Living Project
10
The Institute KeepCup
11 Chapter App to Continue
13 Formation and Resignation
11 Update Report from Holiday House Meeting
13 An Update On the Institute’s Statement Re Pauline Hanson
11 Mercy Education Newsletter 12 Initial Formation News
14 Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
12 An Invitation to All Sisters of Mercy under 60
15 Archives and Heritage Goulburn
Reflection from the ILT I wonder how many have rung the doorbell ... On September 24 this year, Mercy Day, we mark 190 years since the House of Mercy opened on Baggot Street in Dublin. There will be much written and spoken about that significant event across our mercy world in the coming week I am sure. I wonder how many have rung the doorbell ...
The House of Mercy lives on as Mercy International Centre (MIC), a significant global mercy ‘stopping off point’. Some of us have worked there, volunteered there, participated in meetings, seminars, retreats or formation programs there, visited there on our travels, engaged in a virtual tour of MIC online, helped in fundraising to keep it operating, read about it in mercy enews or heard about it from travellers and pilgrims on their return from Dublin. ‘It’ might be a building, a ‘stopping off point’ at some time, but the front door of MIC might also be a threshold we cross physically or symbolically, becoming ‘a taking off point’ for our personal and global mercy journeys. I first visited Baggot Street in 2005. I was 52 and it struck me forcibly at the time that I was the same age as Catherine when she started our congregation – what possibilities unfolded for her in subsequent years and what possibilities continue to unfold for us, no matter what our age might be!!
In her recent book ‘A Shining Lamp: The Oral Instructions of Catherine McAuley’, Mary C Sullivan says of founders of religious groups: ‘The founder of any Christian religious congregation or movement has an obligation to teach. It is her duty to share with her followers and others, however reticently, her understanding of the calling at the heart of the ecclesial community. To fulfill this duty, she may be helped by the enabling gifts of God’s Spirit. Then what she says may be said to shine with some of the Light of Christ, some of the wisdom and values God wishes to see incarnated in God’s people.’ (p. 175). We know that Catherine was a great teacher, evident in many ways, especially through her letter writing. With a wonderful mix of practicality, wisdom and good humour, she shared with her followers a growing understanding of the call to be merciful, of what it meant to respond to need. I imagine Catherine’s writing desk to have been a ‘mercy taking off point’ from where she distilled her insights and learnings and communicated them to her early companions and those with whom they worked as the mercy congregation began to emerge and new thresholds were crossed. In 2017 we are still being called to cross thresholds of one sort or another in our mercy mission so how might Catherine support us anew? Once again, we can draw on Mary C Sullivan’s insights when she writes ‘Perhaps Catherine McAuley’s ongoing mission is to continue to be for all of us what she tried to be during her earthly pilgrimage: a shining human lamp, a comforting, guiding soulfriend, a servant of that definitive and
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Reflection from the ILT incomparably Comforting Mercy that Walter Kasper calls “the source and the goal of God’s ways” on our behalf … ‘ (p. 176). Imagine what our soul-friend Catherine might include in a letter if she were to write to us in the coming week or what she might
say if she were to open the door when the bell rang at a contemporary ‘house or place of mercy’ somewhere … Annette
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Prayer Focus After the Chapter – Part 1
Our Chapter is now behind us and we begin the distillation of its outcomes and recognise the presence of the Spirit in our deliberations. The contemplative dialogue which was a feature of the Chapter enabled us to engage in deep listening and to dwell in a powerful sense of our oneness across the Institute, with all creation and with God. This connectedness with God constantly calls us to be open to all that could be possible.
brothers and sisters, we are already one. But we imagine we are not. And what we have to recover is our original unity. What we have to be, is what we are.” ii
In the last weeks we have seen devastating droughts in Africa, floods in Bangladesh, Nepal and India; an earthquake in Mexico; and horrifying hurricanes and flooding in Cuba, the Caribbean and southern United States. It feels so overwhelming! Yet the glory of God is everywhere and as Pope Francis reminds us: “We need to strengthen the conviction that we are one single family. There are no frontiers or barriers, political or social, behind which to hide…” i
Let us continue to hear the call to communio, “to be what we are” to one another - but more importantly “to be what we are” daughters of Catherine McAuley, at home in our deepest desires as we listen to “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” iii
Thomas Merton wrote: “The deepest level of communication is not communication, but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words. It is beyond speech… My dear
As people of the resurrection, we are alive and participating in Jesus’ mission. “We are to throw open the doors and windows of our world, our place and time, so that the Spirit breath of the crucified and risen One can enter in everywhere.
Practise being hopeful, alone and with others, plant seeds of hope! Anne McGuire, Patricia McDermott (South B) and Helen Glasheen (South C) Laudato Si #52 Thomas Merton, The Asian Journal of Thomas Merton iii Pope Francis, Laudato Si #49 i
ii
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Reflection on the Gospel 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (Matthew 18:21-35)
While the opening verses of this Sunday’s gospel reading have Jesus advocating endless forgiveness (not seven but seventy-seven times), the parable that follows is anything but consistent with this teaching and the teaching of Jesus in the gospel as a whole. We are all familiar with the beatitude, “Blessed are the merciful for they shall be mercied” (5:7) and with the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (6:12). How then do we read today’s story of a king who is prepared initially to forgive the debt that his slave has incurred, only to resort to torture when that slave fails to forgive his fellow slave? This story raises more problems than we can address in this short reflection: the unquestioning acceptance of slavery and the plight of slaves; the absolute power of the king over his subjects; the institution of debt slavery; the treatment of women and children; the collection of crippling taxes to finance the power of the king; an unjust and cruel ruler as an image of the God of Israel; imaging God as a loving father who nonetheless acts in tyrannical ways. In other words, the parable encodes institutions and practices of the time that Jesus and/or the Matthean community seem to accept without question. Does this parable come from the lips of Jesus or from the Matthean community? It would
be anachronistic to expect a critique of slavery from Jesus or from Matthew’s community since the institution of slavery was simply taken for granted. It persisted without critique for some 1800 years. It is totally out of character, however, for Jesus to image his “heavenly Father” as a merciless torturer. It may be that Jesus did in fact tell such a story in another context and that the Matthean author has rather arbitrarily linked the sayings on forgiveness (forgiving 77 times and forgiving brothers and sisters from one’s heart) with this story. It is conceivable that Jesus insisted on the consequences of refusing to forgive. While God is merciful and forgiving, disciples must not exploit God’s capacity to forgive. Bad behaviour is not to be tolerated. It has its consequences and those who continually fail to forgive can expect to suffer the consequences of their actions. Whatever we make of the story of the less than forgiving king and the unforgiving slave, we might take on board Jesus’ response to Peter’s question. “How often should I forgive?” We might also note the reminder at the end of the gospel that true forgiveness is “from the heart”. In the biblical world, the heart was the core of the person’s being, the seat of cognition as well as of emotion. To forgive from the heart is to forgive with the whole of one’s being. Veronica Lawson (South B)
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Reflection on the Gospel 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A (Matthew 20:1-16a) From 1973 to 1975, I was a student in East Jerusalem. Early each morning, I crossed the road from my home at the Chaldean Patriarchate to the grounds of the Ecole Biblique. I would see the Palestinian day labourers lined up beside their vehicles, waiting for employment. In the wake of the Yom Kippur War, they were living through hard times. In the morning, they were chatty and cheerful. Those who found work no doubt remained cheerful: they had the means to support their families and could find some meaning in their lives. Those still waiting for work at midday or later were dejected and shamed, not least by the prospect of returning home without their daily bread. Those who were hired found honour in the society and the means to sustain themselves and their families. Those who missed out on work suffered hunger, indignity and a sense of powerlessness. Confronted by this spectacle day after day, I began to understand the parable of the labourers in the vineyard. In Matthew’s parable, those who have worked all day grumble because the underemployed are made “equal” to them. They are in fact equal as persons. Jesus makes it clear that people’s worth is not to be measured in terms of their capacity for economic production. Pope Leo XIII, writing about the condition of the working class back in 1891, echoes this aspect of the parable. It is worth revisiting Pope Leo’s encyclical and recent commentaries on its relevance for the shaping of social policy in our times.
benefits might address their basic material needs but are less than effective in addressing the underlying issues of human dignity. Parables yield meaning differently in different contexts. Some of us may want to consider the corrosive effects of “envy”. Faced with the growing disparity between rich and poor in our world, some may want to raise questions about the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the landowner. Others, conscious of the plight of asylum seekers and refugees, may come with questions about “generosity” offered from a base of power over against equal access to the world’s resources. In the face of climate change, many of those who used to be “first” in economic terms now find themselves with huge debts. They may not be quite as desperate as the Palestinian day labourers. They nonetheless find themselves waiting in line as never before. There’s an invitation in today’s story for us all to live in ways that promote quality of life for every one of Earth’s inhabitants. Veronica Lawson (South B)
Those who cannot find work and those who cannot work because of sickness or disability or visa restrictions know something of the experience of the Palestinian workers. Their needs are no less urgent than the needs of those who have productive and well paid employment. Even minimal social security
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Reflection From Two Worlds Since achieving independence 20 years ago, PNG has gone through extraordinarily exciting times. We are a very young nation, made up of over 800 languages, different customs, and different traditions. Together we have tried to weave a people from these many clans and sub clans. The task is ongoing, and there is no way yet to tell how and when it will be accomplished. I often think of New Guinea’s people as the thread of a bilum, the deep shoulder bag in which Melanesians commonly carry much of what they need. This bilum is woven of different colorful natural threads which, when knitted together, create a bag that is strong, vibrant with color, and enduring; so are the beauty and strengths of our separate cultures joined. In our daily lives, we can feel the fabric and the weave and, when we need to, we dig deep into the bilum to find answers about ourselves, for we know that it contains them.
and receiver value the objects given, a greater value lies in the prestige of the giver because of his ability to distribute what is needed. Power, prestige, and honor derive from this ability to distribute. In this process the role of women lies in creating wealth by collecting or making shell money, or in breeding pigs, which builds the basis for the clan and family wealth. Once we lose the thread of obligation, we put at risk our sense of belonging. Obligations can be burdensome, but they also bring strength within the group, the family, the clan… Beyond our people and our customs, however, there is the distinct pull of New Guinea the place, the land where earth and spirit combine. Land here is more than dirt or earth to be used for cultivation and harvest. It is not a marketable commodity, but instead an umbilical cord that unites us with nature, linking the present with the past and the future.
The most powerful thread is the family, the clan. The manner in which we care for one another, protect one another, and are loyal to one another appears in the way we carry out our obligations to one another. This duty of obligation takes many customary forms: in trading relationships, in the exchange of pigs in a bride wealth, at funeral rites. The common thread here lies in the honoring of relationships between families and clans that enables harmony to prevail. The continuity of such customs from one generation to the next honors our past, gives us our sense of values and contributes to our feeling of belonging.
Whether it is in the Highlands and mountain valley where people hunt and farm, or on the coast and its reefs where people harvest clans, shellfish, and other creatures, land is the joining of matter and spirit. When I think of the land of New Guinea, I feel deeply connected to all that surrounds me- the trees, the mountains, the valleys, the rivers, the sea –the life of which my life is but a part. In the richness of its different people and languages, in the strength of its traditions and customs in the land, New Guinea ties humanity to its ancient past as its people struggle to find their place in the modern world. (Jan 1996).
The giving-in-exchange cycles, such as the Kula and Moka, bring prestige and honor to the giver. While Melanesians place a value on material possessions, and both the giver
Meg Taylor, Ambassador of PNG to USA, 1989-1994
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Sustainable Living Official Opening of the first Sustainable Living -Energy Project
Sr Pauline Murray (resident) and Community Leader Central B, Sr Mary Geason
Under sunny skies on August 31, the Sisters of Lockyer Street, Adamstown in Newcastle officially opened and celebrated the first Institute sustainable energy solar and LED lighting project and the first solar micro grid which is the first of many planned across ISMAPNG properties in line with the Energy Objective of the Sustainable Living Policy. Sally Bradley delivered an inspirational address to the 30 present, a mixture of sisters and operational staff, and then Mary Geason, Central B Community Leader acknowledged the sisters residing at the complex for their patience and good will as they were relocated during the scope of works that included removing old solar panels and a significant amount of roof rectification before the new solar panels could be installed. Chris Hill delivered the final speech and was pleased to acknowledge and thank the sisters and the large number of people who assisted with the project, particularly Floyd Nangreave and Carmen Waddle from the Institute Property team. The future planned scope of works will look to install solar on hundreds of sites and will not incur a capital cost for implementation, rather, a power purchasing agreement is in place where the Institute purchases a proportion of its energy at a reduced rate from a financing company while also covering the cost of the installation at a reduced rate from the current energy rate from the existing energy retailer. We learnt a lot from this first project and now need to make some changes to the project plan so we can streamline the process. This may mean a slight delay on the next round of projects, but be assured we are aiming to make this as easy as possible for all sisters and staff within the identified properties. Sr Helen Law, resident of Adamstown showing off the solar panels
A video of the opening is available to be watched on the Institute website or at the following link: https://vimeo.com/233932098
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e
Sustainable Living Official Opening of the first Sustainable Living -Energy Project
Standing L-R: Chris Hill, Elaine Wainwright, Sally Bradley, Natalie Anderson, Louise Willis (hiding), Therese Wilkinson, Tina Grant, Mary Geason, Nick Rayment, Michelle Thompson, King Arthur, Carmen Waddle, Bernadette Mills, Floyd Nangreave, Ann Thomson, David Payne, Denise Fox, Mark Noonan (hiding), Catherine Smith (hiding) and Anne Ryan. Middle row seated L-R: Eileen Tobin, Mary O’Connor, Deirdre Gardiner, Maureen Torpey and Patricia Adams. Front row floor L-R: Helen Baguley, Helen Law, Fran Stace and Petra Hennessey.
This Edition’s Front Cover This edition’s front cover features Srs Pauline Murray and Mary Geason (Community Leader Central B) cutting the ribbon at the official opening launch of the Institute’s Sustainable Energy Solar and LED Lighting project in Adamstown NSW.
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Sustainable Living
To coincide with Mercy Day, a KeepCup will be gifted to all Sisters and staff as part of furthering the objective of ‘waste reduction’ in the Institute’s Sustainable Living Policy. We continue our commitment to rolling out this policy with the hope that these KeepCups will assist each Sister and member of staff to be more aware of your own personal commitment to care for our common home. It is estimated that 500 billion disposable cups are discarded to landfill every year. That’s one million cups a minute, every hour of every day of every year. The KeepCup is a reusable coffee cup alternative and since 2009 KeepCup users have diverted 3.5 billion disposable cups from landfill. Facts about the KeepCup: • KeepCups are designed and manufactured in Melbourne, Australia • KeepCups have been tested and estimate to last at least four to five years • Dishwasher and Microwave Safe • Recyclable at end of life • KeepCups have been awarded for their design and sustainability credentials • The KeepCup compared to a disposable paper cup (including coffee) sees a 36-47% reduction in global warming carbon emissions; a 64-85% reduction in water use; and a 91-92% reduction in landfill waste annually. Make sure you ask your coffee shop to provide a discount because you are using a reusable coffee cup! For more information about KeepCups and the Institute’s progress with the implementation of the Sustainable Living policy, please contact Chris Hill, Environmental Sustainability Project Manager Chris Hill showing how many disposable cups he would use with just 2 cups of coffee per week for 48 weeks of work (excludes 4 weeks holidays where he also uses his KeepCup)
The KeepCups will be distributed by your Community Offices in the coming weeks.
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News Chapter App To Continue We have had positive feedback from Sisters who used the Chapter App to receive their communication during Chapter. For some time, plans have been progressing for a permanent ISMAPNG App as one of the communication options going forward. We are hoping this permanent app will be ready by the end of this year. In the interim, we have decided to keep the Chapter App live
and will be adding to it the following features – Institute News, Videos and Notices. All of this information will continue to be emailed to all Sisters and be available on the Sisters’ section of the website, as well as the App. If you had not previously downloaded the Chapter App and would now like to do so, please see the guide attached to this newsletter.
Update report from Holiday House Committee meeting August 2017 The Committee continues to meet and review all Holiday Houses in accordance with the Institute Policy and Procedures document. As circumstances warrant change then recommendations are referred to the relevant Community Leader for consultation and decision. There has been a general increase in occupancy of holiday houses during the past 12 months and there are currently no recommendations for immediate sale of any holiday houses. The houses at Avalon (NSW), Clifton Beach Cairns and Zilzie (QLD) have been sold in the past 12 months. A new Unit at Caloundra (QLD) has been leased and is proving to be very popular. The committee reviewed the document providing instructions on Wifi access using Personal Hotspot on iPhones or SIM enabled iPads and this document will be provided to holiday house booking officers and placed in
holiday houses for reference. Sisters are encouraged to consult with their local IT person and/or Admin Services Officer re use of Personal Hotspot. Telephones and Wifi will not be provided in any newly acquired holiday houses. The Policy and Procedures for Holiday Houses document has been updated and is included on the website. Normal booking period for holiday houses can be up to 2 weeks at a time. Additional time may be negotiated outside of peak booking periods if available. Sisters are reminded that when they are making bookings for family and/or friends the sister is normally expected to accompany them. If any Sister has concerns regarding her holiday arrangements please discuss your concerns with your Community Leader.
Mercy Education Newsletter The latest Mercy Ed Newsletter – Vol. 22 No. 2 2017 – has been uploaded to the ISMAPNG website. Amongst the items are reports of the 2017 Mercy Leadership Programme and Dublin Pilgrimage, the Seeds of Justice Student
Conference, the Young Mercy Leaders Pilgrimage and the Frayne Speech Festival. We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter. Annette
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News Initial Formation News I am very happy to inform you that Sister Rachael Waisman will make her Final Vows on 15 November at 10.00am within a celebration of the Eucharist at St Lawrence Church, Dagua, Wewak. Rachael is originally from Dagua where her parents still live. She is thirty-five years old and is the eldest of six children. After her First Profession on 12 December 2009 Rachael moved to Goroka where she was actively involved in Mercy Works programs for some years teaching sewing and working with the taxi boys. In preparation for her final vows Rachael attended a six-month course earlier last year in “Religious Studies” at Xavier Institute in Port Moresby and in May 2017 went to Dublin for the Final Vows Program at Baggot St.
SVD, Rachael commenced giving budget training sessions to interested groups in the diocese which is being much appreciated by all participants. Let us rejoice with Rachael and continue to pray for her in the coming weeks as she continues to prepare for this important step in her mercy journey.
Rachael currently lives in the Kaindi community in Wewak where she is doing matriculation studies. Recently in response to an invitation from Bishop Josef Roszynski
Joan Doyle (Director Initial Formation)
An Invitation to All Sisters of Mercy Under 60 Mercy International Association invites Sisters of Mercy who will be under the age of 60 on 24th September 2017, to join an online group with a long term aim of establishing connections and reflecting together on mercy life and leadership.
Information about the group and how to join can be downloaded here (PDF). http://enews.mercyworld. org/e-news/100-1bf833a1/editions/29659c628f2/user-assets/files/MIA-Under%2060s.pdf Messages to: Anna Nicholls rsm - MIA Team Leader Heritage & Spirituality
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News Formation and Resignation One of the emphases emerging from the Chapter was Formation in Mercy for the sake of Mission. It was recommended that such formation be available to all in the Institute according to their contexts and engagements: Mercy Associates and Young Mercy, Sisters in initial and ongoing formation across their life-time, Staff within the Institute, and Partners in Mercy ministry. Such a focus was not new. In February we held a Formation Forum bringing together representatives involved in formation across the Institute and from this gathering a Formation Taskforce was set up to develop a comprehensive approach to such formation. The focus of the Chapter has added further impetus to the work of the Taskforce and it aims to bring recommendations for an integrated formation programme to the new leadership team in November for implementation in early 2018.
As the work of the Taskforce develops, I will keep you informed. Currently, however, in relation to formation, I wish to let you know that Carmel Crawford has resigned as the Coordinator of the Mercy Ethos office effective from 27 October. Carmel has provided leadership and co-ordination of the formation in mercy to a wide range of partners in ministry across the initial 6 years of the Institute (and prior to that across 2 years with the former Melbourne Congregation). This work has included leadership of the Dublin pilgrimage and a range of courses and programmes. We are grateful to Carmel for what she has contributed to the work of formation in mercy in the Institute and wish her many blessings on her journey. Elaine Wainwright Executive Leader Mission and Ministries
An Update On the Institute’s Statement Re Pauline Hanson Sisters will recall that during the Chapter we issued a statement in solidarity with muslim women, following Pauline Hanson’s ‘burqa wearing’ stunt in the Australian Parliament. The day after the stunt, one of our Sisters in Central Queensland, Beryl Amedee was speaking with a Central Queensland Imam Mojib Ullah who told her that the Islamic women in Rockhampton were fearful of going out after the incident with Pauline Hanson, with some having been humiliated in the local shopping centre. After receiving the Chapter’s message of solidarity with the Islamic community, Beryl forwarded the statement to the local Islamic community and received the following response: “Thank you very much for your kind message, I cannot express through words how much it means to us. Time and time again Muslims
of CQ have only witnessed love and solidarity from their non-Muslim brothers and sisters whenever such incidents take place where Islam and Muslims are used as a scapegoat. Through my experience as a community leader, I can confidently say that what lets us move beyond all the negativity is the message of love and hope that comes through messages similar to this. We really appreciate the message from the Sisters of Mercy and the support they have shown, I have forwarded it to the Muslim community. God bless. Sincerely, on behalf of the Muslims of CQ Binil Kattiparambil President, Islamic Society of Central QLD”
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News Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey Australian Sisters are encouraged to participate in the postal survey currently being undertaken by the Federal Government. The specific question being asked is – ‘Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?’ with a choice between ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. All Sisters are encouraged to participate in the survey, on what is an important social issue for our time. The survey has been posted out to everyone on the Australian Electoral Roll. Survey responses must be received by the Australian Bureau of Statistics before 6pm on 7 November and you are strongly advised to return your survey by 27 October. The result will be announced on 15 November. This is a complex issue and it is not always easy to locate material against which to develop your personal stance. While there is no intention of directing what should be your response you might find the following links useful in coming to your position:
Australian Bureau of Statistics Marriage Law https://marriagesurvey.abs.gov.au/ Australian Catholic Bishops Conference – Marriage Plebiscite Information https://www.catholic.org.au/plebiscite Bishop’s break ranks in marriage debate http://cathnews.com/cathnews/30227bishops-break-ranks-in-marriage-debate Edmund Rice Centre – A Guide to Marriage Equality http://tinyurl.com/ycxcgokr Coalition for Marriage https://www.coalitionformarriage.com.au/ A Credible Christian Church would respect gay employees https://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article. aspx?aeid=52963#.Wbn7SoVOLug
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Features Archives and Heritage - Goulburn In 1838 Mother Catherine McAuley makes an early reference to the Sisters of Mercy visiting prisoners in jail, writing in May 1838 to Frances Warde stating ‘Sr. M. Clare…they have commenced visiting the Jail’. The ministry of visiting prisoners was further illustrated in the publication The Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy (1840), which included etchings by Sr. M. Clare Agnew depicting scenes of early Sisters of Mercy engaged in works of mercy in Dublin in the late 1830’s. There are very few records in ISMAPNG Archives relating to the ministry of visiting prisoners in jail. There is however one item and a few archive references within the Goulburn collection which can tell part of the story of this ministry undertaken by the Goulburn sisters. The book below was made for Reverend Mother M. Imelda Sullivan by the prisoners of Goulburn Reformatory. Each page has a different black and white religious picture cut out and pasted in. In the front of the book is a poem which reads: ‘Christmas Greetings. To Rev. Mother M. Imelda, Springtime has gone Xmas is here. As a token of Love, Accept Mother dear, This book of remembrance With a good Xmas cheer. From the men of Goulburn Reformatory’ ISMAPNG Archives does not hold much detail on M. M. Imelda’s activities at the prison but it does record she visited the jail every Sunday.
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Features
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Features
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Features While this gift clearly dates to the period after M. M. Imelda’s appointment as Reverend Mother (pre 1960s), the early Sisters of Mercy are also noted in historical newspapers as active visitors of the Goulburn Jail. In 1859 Goulburn Sisters of Mercy are noted to have visited Ellen Monks (the provoked wife of Thomas Monks, who killed her husband while in a distraught and desperate state), Charles Cunningham in 1882 (who was condemned for attempted murder of a warden at Berrima Jail) and also John Sleigh in 1900 (who was charged with murder). All of these prisoners received a sentence of capital punishment for their crimes and the Sisters of Mercy Goulburn were publically acknowledged for their visitations at these times. Another local Sister of Mercy known for her visitation of the Goulburn prisoners is Sr. M. Carmel Alcock. For approximately thirty years, Sr. Carmel was a constant visitor every Sunday and was a support system to the inmates. It is noted in the archives that ‘when a prisoner received his discharge, if he had no means of procuring it, she prepared breakfast for him at the convent and if he needed clothing she had that ready for him’. Sr. Carmel liked to keep in touch with the released prisoners until she was confident they had found employment and were settling into their new life. The impact of Sr. Carmel’s ministry work was illustrated at her funeral in 1961, where two of the pallbearers were wardens from the Goulburn Jail and seemingly a prisoner went without his dinner before the funeral to ensure a cross of flowers was constructed in time. These are only two examples of Sisters of Mercy from Goulburn who carried out work in this ministry. This ministry was practised by most congregations across ISMPANG and today remains an important work for several Sisters of Mercy.
Attachments • Invitation - Final Profession of Rachael Waisman • Chapter App Guide 2017
Institute Centre – Stanmore 33 Myrtle Street, Stanmore NSW 2048 T +61 2 9572 5400 F +61 2 9560 5435 www.institute.mercy.org.au
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